Lifting device.



0. A. MITCHELL.

LIFTlNG DEVICE; APPLlCATlON FILED APR. t9. 1917.

Patented Oct. 23,1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET1 a flWCiOfZZ 2 SHEETS- SHEET 2.

0. A. MITCHELL.

LIFTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 19. I917.

Patentefl. 00$: 23, 1937.

G Wow/1 e15 hh lo LIFTING DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern: 7 I

Be it known that I, OSCAR A. MITCHELL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Sikeston, in the county of Scott and State of 'Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lifting Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in jacks and it is the dominant object of the invention to provide a vehicle lifting device especially adapted for supporting automobiles and other vehicles having pneumatic tires arranged about the wheels thereof, whereby the weight of the vehiclewill be removed from'the tires onto the axles or frame of the vehiclef'when not'in use, thus, adding greatly to the life and efiiciency of the tires.

It. is a. more specific object of the invention to provide a lifting device in which the jacks thereof can be automatically or manually operated when the vehicle to be lifted thereby is run over the same.-

Another object of the invention is to provide means for adjustingcertain of the jacks vertically when the same are swung upward to operative positions, thereby raising the adjacent wheels from the ground or other surface.

Otherindependent objects are to provide featuresof construction of'portions of the lifting device which tend toward the attainment of the above aims irrespective of the relation in which they areused.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consistsin the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter. set forth, and thescope of the application of which will be indicated in the following. claims. V

In the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown one of various possible. embodiments of my invention I Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevatlon of. the same; v

.Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section throughthe rear jack thereof; FigLBis a fragmentary detail in section showing the means for raising the rear. jack and for imparting upward movement to the adjustable links carried thereby;

Fig. 4: is a. fragmentary disassembled de- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Got. 2s," rem.

Application filed April 19, 1917. Serial No. 163,158. a

tail in perspective of one of theadju-stable jack legs; and

Fig. 5 is'a detail in perspective of the sheath orhousing therefor.

Referring now more particularly to-the drawings and in connection with which like reference characters will designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, I provide a plurality of pairs of spaced jacks indicated in their'entireties "by the numerals land 2, the said jacks being pivotally mounted upon stands 3 and 4 having flanged-bottoms which are secured to" a suitable base 5 through the medium of bolts or other The forward jacks l comprise supporting element'sor legs 6 pivotally mounted adjacent theirlower extremities within the stands 3 as at 7 and having seats 8 formed upon their upper ends which-seats may be and" preferably are lined with a cushioning material 9, such as rubber or the like. Open- 'ings lO'and 11 are formed in spaced relation within the pivotal legs 6 of the forward jack in proximity of their pivots 7 for a purpose which will be hereinafter more fully described.

The rear jacks designated 2 comprise casings or sheaths 12 having depending apertured ears 13 formed upon their lower ends while openings 14 are formed in the'sides thereof near their respective tops. Slidably mounted within the oppositely disposed sheaths are legs 15, the lower portions of which are reduced and provided with racks 17 while the upper portions thereof are formed with vertical slots 18,' these slots receiving therethrough pins 19 fixedly arranged within the openings 14 formed in the sides of the sheaths 12 and serving as means for limiting vertical movement of the said legs. The upper ends of the legs 15 are provided with concave portions or seats 19, which seats are also lined with suitable material designated 20; 7

A shaft 21 havlng squared extremities is journaled in the stands t and obviously, serves as means for pivotally supporting the several sheaths 12 upon'thesaidstands. 7

Upon one of the squared extremities of. the shaft 21 a lever 22 is arranged and has engagedwith its lower extremity a chain 23,.whichlcl1ain extends diagonally upward into engagement with the opening 10 formed a the alined forward legs 6] of the jack l.

vehicle and imparting a Thus, upon pivotal movement of the legs 6 a pull will be imparted to the chain 23 thereby rotating the shaft 21. With the upper end of the lever 22 there is engaged a connecting rod 2 1, which connecting rod extends rearwardly into pivotal engagement with a substantially bell crank shaped lever 25 as at 26, the said lever being mounted upon a suitable stand 27 also secured to the base 5. I

Pinions 28 are mounted on the shaft 21 in proximity of its opposite ends and mesh with the rack portions 17 formed upon the vertically movable legs 15. Hence, upon rotation of the shaft 21, vertical movement will be imparted to the said legs 15 by way of the pinions 28, such movement being limited by the pins 19.

As means for causing the various jacks to be moved collectively, a plurality of connecting rods 29 are employed and have certain of their ends pivotally engaged with the lower ends of the legs 6 as at 30, while their remaining ends are screw threaded and have turned into engagement therewith sleeves 31. Other connecting rods 32 are pivotally connected to the lower ends of the sheaths 12 by means of pins arranged in the apertured ears 13 thereof and .have their forward or remaining ends slidably received within the sleeves 31. Expansible coiled springs 33 are arranged about the forward portions of the rods 32 and have bearing upon their respective ends and upon collars 34 secured to the said rods by means of set screws as turned into engagement therewith. By this means, when the pivotal legs 6 are swung to their upward positions a thrust is imparted to the rods 29 and 32 and as a consequence the sheathings 12 together with their respective adjustable legs 15 are also swung upwardly. The coiled springs 33 serve as means for cushioning the pivotal legs 6 when the same are moved or swung to their lowermost position.

In operation and assuming that the legs 6 and 15 of the various jacks 1 and 2 are in their lowermost or inoperative positions, a vehicle is run over the same, axle thereof striking the seats 8 formed upon the upper ends of the legs 6, which legs are disposed at angles less acute than the positioning of the legs 15, thereby moving the same upward due to the momentum of the thrust by way of the connecting rods 29 and 32 to the lower ends of the pivotally mounted sheaths 12, thus, moving the same upward whereupon the seats 19 will. engage the rear axle of the vehicle and upon continued movement raise the same from the ground or other surface due to the vertical movement of the legs 15 caused by the rotation of the pinions 28 as meshing with the rack portions 17 thereof.

To raise a vehicle manually from the ground,

the forward limited by the engagewith the rear walls of their respective stands 3, the vehicle as arranged upon the jacks serving as a means for connecting the rear jacks 2.

Manifestly, the construction shown is ca pable of considerable modification and such modification as is within the scope of my claims, 1 consider within the spirit of my invention.

I claim.

1. A lifting device, including a plurality of pairs of spaced pivotal jacks, means for interconnecting the jacks, adjustable legs on certain of said jacks having their lower portions formed with racks, pinions meshing with the racks, levers connected to said pinions, and means engaged with certain of the jacks and with said levers for rotating the same at times.

2. A lifting device, including a plurality of pairs of spaced pivotal jacks, means for interconnecting the jacks, legs slidably mounted on certain of said jacks, and means engaged with said legs for sliding the same upon pivotal movement of their respective jacks.

3. A lifting device, including a plurality of pairs of spaced pivotal jacks, means for interconnecting said 1210kS, legs slidably mounted on certain of said jacks, other means engaged with the lower ends of said pivotal legs for imparting sliding movement thereto upon pivotal movement of their respective jacks, and means engaged with the remaining jacks and with said motion imparting means for operating the same upon pivotal movement thereof.

4. A lifting device, including a plurality of pairs of spaced pivotal jacks, means for interconnecting the jacks, adjustable legs slidable on certain of said jacks having their lower portions formed with racks, pinions meshing with the racks, levers connected to said pinions, means engaged with certain of the jacks and with said levers for rotating the same upon pivotal movement of the jacks, and manually operable means engaged with the levers for actuating the same independently of the last mentioned acks.

5. A lifting device, including a plurality of pairs of spaced pivotal jacks, said jacks including pivotal legs having seats formed upon their upper ends,

certain of the legs being slidably mounted that movement of the on their respective 1 the same 1nto jacks, means engaged With said slidable legs able means engaged with said motion imfor imparting sliding movement thereto parting means for actuating the same indeupon pivotal movement of their jacks, means pendently of the last mentioned acks. 10'

for interconnecting the jacks, other means In testimony Whereof,,I aflix my signature connected With certain of the jacks and hereto. I

with said motion imparting means for operating the same at times, and manually oper- OSCAR A. MITCHELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the f0ommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

